A new peer-reviewed study led by researchers at George Mason College of Public Health, published in Diabetologia, found that women with endometriosis have a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women without the condition.
It is the largest study to date on this link:
- Scale: Analyzed health records of nearly 3 million women in the Utah Population Database from 1996-2021, including nearly 100,000 women diagnosed with endometriosis.
- Lead researchers: Doctoral student Maggie Fuzak Nunziato and Professor Anna Pollack.
- Key findings:
- Risk varied by type of endometriosis, with the strongest association seen in women with extra-pelvic endometriosis (disease found outside the pelvis).
- The association was strongest among premenopausal women and women without obesity — groups not traditionally considered high-risk for type 2 diabetes.
- This differs from previous, smaller studies that treated endometriosis as a single condition and found little or no association.
Why it matters: Endometriosis affects about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. The findings suggest it may have health implications beyond the reproductive system — including chronic pelvic pain and infertility — potentially due to chronic inflammation affecting metabolic health.
The researchers stress this shows an association, not causation, and more research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms and whether earlier diabetes screening or prevention could benefit women with endometriosis.